Capturing Television History, One Voice At A Time

Louis J. Horvitz

Director

"The 10 count to live, in the truck…my palms were sweating so much. I couldn't figure out what was happening but it was like when I was in track and field in high school and you get in the blocks and you get ready, runner, set… You're filled with this kind of angst. But you're waiting for the adrenaline to kick in… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… It's like the first time you've jumped out of an airplane or you were on a hang glider and jumped off a cliff, when it fades up. You're jumping off a precipice. And you're just going to hope that those first 10 or 15 seconds after you've jumped that the chute's going to open up or that the glider's going to not break…You feel like you could die."

About This Interview

Louis J. Horvitz was interviewed for over three-and-a-half hours in Los Angeles, CA. Horvitz speaks about his schooling at the University of California (UCLA) and developing his interest in the arts. He describes his eye for pictorial art and how it shaped his style as a director. He discusses becoming a cameraman in television while in college, initially shooting sporting events for the local news, and, through contacts, beginning work at Universal. He talks about his early years working in both television and film as a cameraman, but preferred to work as a director in multi-camera television. Horvitz details his entrance into directing for television, starting with In Concert, a late night ABC series, and later Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, produced and hosted by Kirshner. He talks about his stint with Norman Lear on Fernwood 2-Night, one of Horvitz's only forays into sitcom,and describes how he left Kirshner to work on Solid Gold -- the series of which he says he is most proud. He comments on several other '80s and early '90s shows on which he worked: Live Aid; Dolly (Dolly Parton's short-lived variety series, where he met a key mentor, Don Mischer); and Paul Simon's Concert in the Park. He explains his directing style, which he calls "sweep and glide," and speaks at length on directing the Academy Awards and the Emmy Awards. Stephen J. Abramson conducted the interview on November 13, 2008.

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